Method and system for generating incentives based on substantially real-time product purchase information

ABSTRACT

A method for use in marketing includes receiving at a remote location through the Internet, substantially real-time product purchase information from a retail store in conjunction with an identification code of a customer purchasing the parts at a point-of-sale. The method also includes generating at the remote location an incentive to be communicated to the identified customer and initiating communication of data relative to the incentive to the identified customer at the point-of-sale.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. Section 120 of thefiling date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/354,263 and is acontinuation entitled Point-of-Sale Server and Method, to Deaton et al.,having a filing date of Jul. 15, 1999, pending.

This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 08/820,020, filed Mar. 12, 1997, and entitled “Method and System forSelective Incentive Point-Of-Sale Marketing in Response to CustomerShopping Histories,” now pending, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 08/457,300, and entitled “Method And System ForSelective Incentive Point-of-Sale Marketing in Response to CustomerShopping Histories,” filed Jun. 1, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,322,which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/139,983, filedOct. 20, 1993, and entitled “Method and System for Selective IncentivePoint-of-Sale Marketing in Response to Customer Shopping Histories,” nowabandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.08/096,921, filed Jul. 23, 1993, and entitled “Method and System forSelective Incentive Point-of-Sale Marketing In Response to CustomerShopping Histories,” now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 08/063,413, filed May 17, 1993, and entitled“Method and System for Building a Database for Use With SelectiveIncentive Marketing in Response to Customer Shopping Histories,” nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,621,812, which is a continuation of U.S. applicationSer. No. 07/886,383, filed May 19, 1992, and entitled “Method and Systemfor Building a Database for Use with Selective Incentive Marketing inResponse to Customer Shopping Histories,” now abandoned.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to marketing and more particularly to amethod and system for generating incentives in response to substantiallyreal-time product purchase information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Market surveys and research provide a manufacturer with information thatit may use to respond to changing market conditions. For example,surveys may be conducted which ask consumers whether they favor aparticular product over another. In addition, the actual past sales of amanufacturer's product may be compiled and analyzed.

Although some product information is available from these techniques,relying on conventional techniques for assessing one's place in themarket may provide less than satisfactory results. For example, by thetime market research informs a manufacturer that his product is underperforming in a particular market, the manufacturer may not have time toappropriately respond. Furthermore, temporary market conditions mayaffect the purchase of a particular manufacturer's product or itscompetitor's products, and these temporary conditions may no longer beapplicable by the time conventional market research analysis iscompleted.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,504, entitled “Marketing Research System and Methodfor Obtaining Retail Data on a Real-Time Basis” to James N. Darrel, Jr.,is exemplary of prior retail store marketing systems. The patentdescribes a system that stores retail data on a real-time basis andsubsequently provides information remotely. The described system doesnot, however, communicate the data to a remote location, on asubstantially real-time basis, allowing manufacturers or other clientsto respond to market conditions rapidly; nor does the described systemenable rapid response back to the point-of-sale to vary marketingparameters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a need has arisen for an method and system for generatingincentives in response to substantially real-time product purchaseinformation that addresses shortcomings of prior methods and systems.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for use inmarketing includes receiving at a remote location through the Internet,substantially real-time a product purchase information from a retailstore in conjunction with an identification code of a customerpurchasing the products at a point-of-sale. The method also includesgenerating at the remote location an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer and initiating communication or data relative to theincentive to the identified customer at the point-of-sale.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a method includesreceiving at a remote computer substantially real-time product purchaseinformation from a retail store in conjunction with an identificationcode of a customer purchasing the products in a current transaction. Theremote computer is located remote from the retail store. The method alsoincludes generating by the remote computer an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer and initiating communication ofthe generated incentive from the remote computer to the retail store ina time period such that the customer receives the incentive prior toleaving the retail store.

Embodiments of the invention provide numerous technical advantages. Forexample, in one embodiment of the invention, access is provided toreal-time product purchase information. This real-time access allows aparty, such as a manufacturer, to respond appropriately to marketcondition. For example, a manufacturer may provide an incentive tocustomers, such as redeemable coupons, on a real-time basis. Such anability to receive substantially real-time data also allows amanufacturer to market its products to purchasers of competing products.

Other technical advantages are readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of embodiments of the invention andthe advantages thereof, reference is now made to the followingdescriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for providing point-of-saleinformation to a manufacturer;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of a store showing details of a portion ofthe system of FIG. 1 for providing information from the point-of-sale toa manufacturer;

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of a store showing alternative details of aportion of the system of FIG. 1 for providing point-of-sale informationto a manufacturer;

FIG. 2C is a block diagram of a store showing alternative details of aportion of the system of FIG. 1 for providing point-of-sale informationto a manufacturer;

FIG. 2D is a block diagram of a store showing alternative details of aportion of the system of FIG. 1 for providing point-of-sale informationto a manufacturer;

FIG. 2E is a block diagram of an example manufacturer computer for usein the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the points-of-sale illustrated in FIGS. 2A,2B, and 2C showing additional details of one embodiment of apoint-of-sale;

FIG. 4A is a block diagram of the UPC server illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a block diagram of one embodiment of the kiosk of FIG. 2D;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a summary of steps performed inconjunction with the system of FIG. 1 to allow a plurality ofmanufacturers to market their products to customers;

FIG. 6A is a block diagram illustrating an example server of the systemof FIG. 1, showing units for receiving information, filtering thatinformation, and distributing the filtered information to appropriatemanufacturers;

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the UPCserver of FIG. 1 for use in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6C is a flow chart illustrating a method for generating market databased on point-of-sale information received by the UPC server of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6D is a flow chart illustrating an alternative method forgenerating market data based on point-of-sale information received bythe UPC server of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6E is a flow chart illustrating a method for accessingpoint-of-sale information from the UPC server of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating automatic response by a manufacturerin response to the meeting of certain thresholds relating to themanufacturer's products;

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an example UPC server containing circuitryand/or software operable to concentrate e-mails provided by a pluralityof manufacturers for receipt by a customer of a store;

FIG. 8B is a flow chart illustrating example portions of a method forcompiling a plurality of incentives into a single incentive forcommunication to a customer;

FIG. 8C is a flow chart illustrating the generation of a consolidatede-mail containing a plurality of incentives based upon criteriaspecified by a manufacturer;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the use of a UPC server infacilitating coupon redemption validation and electronic crediting;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an additional embodiment of theinvention in which a UPC server facilitates electronic settlement ofcredit and debits between a store and a manufacturer;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a system for remotely effecting a productprice change in a retail store; and

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of a portion of the system of FIG.1, showing the exchange of communication between a customer computer anda UPC server.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention and their advantages are best understood byreferring to FIGS. 1 through 12 of the drawings, like numerals beingused for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 10 for providing point-of-saleinformation to a manufacturer 16. System 10 includes a UPC server 12connected to one or more stores 14 by a communication link 24. System 10also includes one or more manufacturers 16 connected to UPC server bycommunication link 26. In addition to manufacturers 16, vendors 20 andwholesalers 22 may also be connected to UPC server 12 by communicationslinks 32 and 30, respectively. Vendors 20, wholesalers 22, manufacturers16, retailers 14, or any other entity that subscribes to the servicesoffered by UPC server 12 may be referred to herein as clients. Eachclient may utilize a computer analogous to the computer illustrated inFIG. 2E to effect their various functions described below. System 10also includes a customer computer 18 for accessing UPC server 12 viacommunication link 28. According to one embodiment of the invention,communications links 24, 26, 30, and 32 utilize the Internet.

According to the teachings of the invention, point-of-sale informationobtained at store 14 is communicated on a substantially real-time basisto UPC server 12. Such point-of-sale information may include UPC codesfor purchased products, UPC codes for redeemed coupons, prices ofpurchased products, other suitable identifications of purchasedproducts, and other suitable data obtained at the point-of-sale,including codes not currently used. Additional point-of-sale informationmay include a store identification such as an Internet address, theregister or lane number, and additional data such as lines of print sentto the receipt tape, smart card contents, customer identificationnumbers and receipt lines including item description, quantity, andprice, and receipt total. The entire contents of a customer's smart cardmay also be provided to UPC server 12. In addition, payment instrumentdata such as credit card number, check number, and debit card number maybe transferred. Such numbers may be used as unique customeridentification codes for identifying particular customers. Theidentification of particular customers allows determining what productsa particular customer purchases, which may be used in marketing.

The communicated information received by UPC server 12 is then madeavailable on a substantially real-time basis to manufacturers 16,vendors 20, wholesalers 22, or other iappropriate clients, includingstores 14. By providing point-of-sale information on a substantiallyreal-time basis, manufacturers 16, vendors 20, and wholesalers 22 mayrespond to the purchase or non-purchase of goods or services associated,respectively, with manufacturers 16, vendors 20, wholesalers 22 andstores 14. For example, a manufacturer 16 may receive point-of-saleinformation indicating a market share far below its normal market share.In such a case, manufacturer 16 may instantly lower prices on its goodsto be more competitive.

Furthermore, a manufacturer 16 or other client may offer, on anindividualized basis, incentives to a customer of store 14 based uponthe customers past purchasing history, purchases made in a currenttransaction, a combination of these purchases, or regardless of thepurchases of the customer. According to one embodiment, by providingpoint-of-sale information on a substantially real-time basis to, forexample, manufacturer 16, individualized customer incentives may beprovided by the manufacturer that relate to the recent purchase, ornonpurchase, and the associated prices of products from a particularstore or group of stores. Although particular embodiments are describedshowing a common UPC server shared by a plurality of clients, it shouldbe understood that, in some embodiments, UPC server 12 or a similarapparatus may be located at a particular client, such as manufacturer16, enabling manufacturer 16 to communicate directly with store 14without the use of an intermediary.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of store 14 showing details of a portion ofthe system of FIG. 1 for providing information from a point-of-sale 36,38, and 40 to a manufacturer 16. Store 14 includes a plurality ofpoints-of-sale 36, 38, and 40. Each of the points-of-sale is connectedto a router 34 via a communication link 42. Router 34 receivesinformation from each of the points-of-sale 36, 38, and 40 on asubstantially real-time basis and directs such information, on asubstantially real-time basis, over communication link 24 to UPC server12, illustrated in FIG. 1. Points-of-sale 36, 38, and 40 are describedin greater detail below in conjunction with FIG. 3.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of a store 14 showing alternative details ofa portion of system 10 for providing point-of-sale information tomanufacturer 16. In this embodiment of store 14, router 34, andincentive controller 44 are replaced with a register controller 46. Inthis embodiment, register controller 46 operates to provide informationto points-of-sale 36, 38, and 40 related to product prices anddescriptions and, in addition, transmits point-of-sale information tomanufacturers 16 over communication link 24. In addition, registercontroller 46 receives information from manufacturers 16 for delivery tothe customer at the points-of-sale 36, 38, 40. Such an embodimentincorporates the design of register controller 46 for reception ofinformation from manufacturers 14 according to some standard protocol.Alternatively, a register local area network 48 may be tapped into andpoint-of-sale information may be provided to manufacturers 16 withoutdesigning register controller according to a particular protocol.

FIG. 2C is a block diagram of store 14 showing alternative details of aportion of system 10 for providing point-of-sale information to aclient, such as manufacturer 16. In this embodiment of store 14, router34 is replaced with an incentive controller 44. Incentive controller 44receives point-of-sale information directly from points-of-sale 36, 38,and 40 on a substantially real-time basis over, for example,communication link 42. Incentive controller 44 then transmits thepoint-of-sale information on a substantially real-time basis overcommunication link 24 to UPC server 12. Alternatively, incentivecontroller 44 is associated with points-of-sale 36, 38, 40, but store 14communicates with UPC server 12 through other means.

Whether or not connected to UPC server 12, incentive controller 44 mayprovide incentives, such as redeemable coupons or a written notificationof a future product discount or advertising message, to customers atpoints of sale 36, 38, 40, recommend such incentives to manufacturer 16,or process incentives generated by manufacturer 16. Incentive controller44 may also be used in validating product purchases in conjunction withproducts offered at a discount or for products for which coupons areredeemed. Incentive controller 44 may generate incentives based upon acustomer's past purchasing history, a customer's present purchases, acombination of these two, or other suitable techniques.

Exemplary methodology for generating incentives by incentive controller44 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,322 to Deaton et al., which isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes and in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/320,114 to Deaton et al., entitled Method andSystem for Providing Customer Incentives Utilizing Dual CustomerIdentifications, which is incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes. Incentive controller 44 may be formed integral with a registercontroller used by store 14 (not explicitly shown in FIG. 2C) thatcontrols registers associated with each point-of-sale. For example, theregister controller may provide each individual register informationassociating each bar code with a description and associated price.

FIG. 2D is a block diagram of store 14 showing alternative details of aportion of system 10 for providing point-of-sale information to aclient, such as manufacturer 16. In this embodiment, store 14 includes akiosk 47. Kiosk 47 allows a customer of store 14 to view and selectincentives available to the customer. Details of one example of kiosk 47are described in greater detail in conjunction with FIG. 4B. In theillustrated embodiment, kiosk 47 is connected to UPC server 12 bycommunication link 24; however, a kiosk may be utilized that is eithernot connected to UPC server 12 or that is indirectly connected to UPCserver 12 through another element at store 14. Register controller 46and incentive controller 44 are also illustrated in FIG. 2D. Registercontroller 46 is connected to kiosk 47 by a communication link 49.Incentive controller 44 is connected to kiosk 47 by communication link39.

According to the teachings of the invention, point-of-sale informationis communicated through communication link 24 to UPC server 12. Suchinformation is then communicated to a manufacturer 16. In response toreceiving information from the point-of-sale, manufacturer 16 maycommunicate, through UPC server 12, incentives to be communicated to acustomer of store 14. Kiosk 47 provides a way for the incentive to becommunicated to the customer.

Kiosk 47 receives an incentive over communication link 24. A customerentering store 14 may proceed to kiosk 47 to determine what incentivesare available. Kiosk 47 may then provide the customer a printedredeemable coupon or communicate a future electronic discount. In thecase of a printed redeemable coupon, a coupon is distributed by kiosk 47that may be redeemed at point-of-sale 36, 38, 40. In the case of afuture electronic discount, the customer is identified at kiosk 47 by,for example, a customer loyalty card, a smart card, a credit card, adebit card, or other method of identification. After identification, anincentive available to the customer is communicated to the customer by,for example, printing of the incentive on a viewable screen or on aprinter. In addition to communicating the future electronic discount tothe customer, kiosk 47 communicates the future electronic discount toincentive controller 44 for application when the customer is identifiedat point-of-sale 36, 38, 40 and the customer purchases the productassociated with the future electronic discount. As an alternative, kiosk47 may communicate incentives available to all customers, as opposed toparticularly identified customers, in which case communication ofindividual electronic discounts to incentive controller 44 isunnecessary. Furthermore, kiosk 47 may issue redeemable coupons toidentified or unidentified customers.

It should be understood that although a particular configuration ofstore 14 is illustrated in FIG. 2D, other configurations may beutilized, including combining register controller 46 and incentivecontroller 44 into a single integrated device, combining incentivecontroller 44 and kiosk 47 into a single integrated device, andeliminating redundant communication links. For example, according to oneembodiment, kiosk 47 and register controller 46 may be connected to UPCserver 12 solely through incentive controller 44, and registercontroller 46 may be connected to kiosk 47 solely through incentivecontroller 44.

FIG. 2E is a block diagram of one example of a manufacturer computer 53that may be used to perform functions of manufacturer 16. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 2E, manufacturer computer 53 includes a processor 55associated with a storage device 57 and a memory device 59. Processor 55may also be associated with an input device 61 and an output device 63.Memory 59 includes manufacturer software 65. Manufacturer software 65may be executed by processor 55 while stored in memory 59.Alternatively, manufacturer software may be executed from storage area57. Manufacturer software 65 contains software coding sufficient toexecute the functions performed by either manufacturer 16 ormanufacturer computer 53 described below. Manufacturer computer 53 mayalso be implemented in various other forms, including the use of ASICsor other hardware configurations.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of particular examples of points-of-sale 36,38, and 40 illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C showing additionaldetails of one embodiment of a point-of-sale 36. Although point-of-sale36 includes a particular collection of items, “point-of-sale” as usedherein below without a reference numeral refers to the general locationat which products are purchased. Point-of-sale 36 includes an electroniccash register 50. Electronic cash register 50 receives a signalindicative of the bar code of an item scanned by a scanner 52. A scanneditem may include a product for purchase, a coupon being redeemed, orother suitable item bearing a scannable code. Based upon the signalindicative of the UPC bar code, a price is associated with the scanneditem as well as a description of the scanned item. The price of the itemand the description are printed on a printer 54. The price anddescription of an item are associated with a scanned bar code throughcommunication of register 50 with a register controller (not explicitlycontrolled). In the case of a single point-of-sale 36, register 50 mayitself maintain a database associating bar codes with related price andproduct descriptions.

Between scanner 52 and register 50 is a wedge 56. Wedge 56 interceptsinformation from scanner 52 and provides it along communication link 42Bto router 34. A wedge allows a single signal to be split into multiplesignals for receipt by multiple devices or, either alternatively or incombination, allows a signal to be inserted onto an existingcommunication link. An example of wedge 56 is an RS-232 Y-cable used toenable two devices, for example computers, to share a single serialdevice; however, other suitable wedges may be utilized. Therefore, byproviding a signal indicative of the bar code of a scanned item, wedge56 allows generation of information describing products and couponsscanned at the point-of-sale. Similarly, a wedge 58 disposed betweenregister 50 and printer 54 receives information from register 50,allowing transmission of information along communication link 42Adescribing price and product information.

In addition to providing point-of-sale information, wedges 56 and 58 mayreceive information generated by manufacturers 16 for providing to acustomer at point-of-sale 36, such as customer incentives. For example,a manufacturer may offer a customer a coupon for a product in responseto the customer's purchase of particular products. Upon receivinginformation describing the customer's purchase, manufacturer 16 mayprovide a signal through point-of-sale server 12 directed for a customerutilizing point-of-sale 36. Communication link 42A may carry such asignal to wedge 58 and it may be printed on printer 54, informing thecustomer of the incentive. Alternatively, a separate printer or amonitor at the point-of-sale may be used to communicate incentives tocustomers.

A smart card reader 51 may be connected to communication link 42. Smartcard reader 51 receives a smart card storing an identification of acustomer. The smart card also includes a memory for storing awards.Thus, through smart card reader 51, awards may.be generated and appliedat point-of-sale 36, 38, 40.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram of one example of UPC server 12. UPC server12 may be implemented in many forms. In the example illustrated in FIG.4A, UPC server 12 includes a processor 60 associated with a storagedevice 62 and a memory device 64. Processor 60 may also be associatedwith an input device 66 and an output device 68. Memory 64 includes UPCserver software 70. UPC server software 70 may be executed by processor60 while stored in memory 64. Alternatively, UPC server software may beexecuted from storage area 62. UPC server software 70 contains softwarecoding sufficient to execute functions performed by UPC server 12described in greater detail below. UPC server 12 may also be implementedin various other forms, including the use of ASICs or other hardwareconfigurations.

In addition to providing substantially real-time product purchaseinformation to manufacturer 16, vendor 20, wholesaler 22, and customercomputer 18, UPC server 12 may generate incentives for application atstore 14. These incentives may be generated on behalf of manufacturer16, vendor 20, wholesaler 22, store 14, or for other reasons. Thus, anyof the plurality of incentives described herein below as being generatedby any particular client or store may also be generated by UPC server 12on behalf of the client or store or on behalf of the operator of UPCserver 12.

FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of kiosk 47. Inthe illustrated embodiment kiosk 47 includes a card reader 140, adisplay 142, a printer 144, and a keyboard 146; however, other suitablekiosks may be used. For example, kiosk 47 may include a separate smartcard reader for receiving a smart card. Display 142 may communicateincentives and provide additional information to a customer. Display 142may be a touch-sensitive screen for receiving information from thecustomer, such as information related to which incentives the customerdesires. Keypad 146 also allows a customer to provide information tokiosk 47. For example, a customer may provide a name, address, telephonenumber, or other suitable indication of the customer's identity. Cardreader 140 may also be used to identify a customer by receipt of acustomer card, credit card, debit card, or other instrument from whichthe customer's identity may be determined. In one embodiment, cardreader 140 is operable to read bar codes printed on a customer card.Printer 144 may be used in conjunction with display 142 to generate ashopping list of items for which the customer will receive discountswhen the items are purchased. Kiosk 47 may be used in conjunction withdistribution of incentives as described above in conjunction with FIG.2D. Other identification systems may also be utilized, such asappropriate systems described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/320,114, identified above, including fingerprint identification.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a summary of steps performed inconjunction with system 10 to allow a manufacturer 16 to market itsproducts to customers of store 14. Such steps may be performed bymanufacturer computer 53 in conjunction with UPC server 12. The processbegins at a step 73. At a step 74, manufacturer 16 receivespoint-of-sale purchase information from UPC server 12. Point-of-salepurchase information is provided to UPC server 12 from store 14 throughcommunication link 24. According to one embodiment, communication link24 provides Internet access to store 14 and therefore, connects UPCserver 12 to store 14 via the Internet. According to the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2A, such point-of-sale information is provided fromindividual points of sale 36, 38, 40 to a router 34 for transmissionalong communication link 24. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B,such point-of-sale information is provided by points of sale 36, 38, and40 to an incentive controller 44, for communication over communicationlink 24 to point-of-sale server 12. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 2C, such point-of-sale information is provided by points of sale36, 38, and 40 to either a register controller 46 for communication overcommunication link 20 to UPC server 12, or by eavesdropping by UPCserver 12 on a register local area network 48 associated with store 14.In each of the above embodiments, according to one example system, eachof the points of sale 36, 38 and 40 provide information to respectivecontrollers or to UPC server 12 through the use of wedges, such aswedges 56 and 58. According to another example system, wedges 56, 58 arenot utilized and product purchase information is obtained from aregister controller, such as register controller 46, incentivecontroller 44, or from register LAN 48.

After point-of-sale information is received by UPC server 12,point-of-sale information is transmitted on a substantially real-timebasis over communication link 26 to manufacturer 16. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGURE al communication link 26 is an Internet connectionbetween manufacturers 16 and UPC server 12; however, other suitableconnections may be established including satellite links, wirelesscommunications, phone lines, and dedicated lines.

At a step 76, manufacturer 16 may evaluate the point-of-sale informationit has obtained from UPC server 12. Evaluation of such information mayallow a manufacturer 16 to assess whether its products are sellingaccording to desired parameters. For example, a manufacturer may assessthe market share of a particular product in a particular geographicregion.

After evaluating the position of its products at step 76, a manufacturermay intercede at step 78 to attempt to effect increased purchases of themanufacturer's products at step 78. Such intercession may take a varietyof forms. For example, manufacturer 16 can initiate offers to customersby e-mail, can initiate offers through the use of kiosks conventionallylocated in stores such as retail stores, can initiate offers forimmediate communication at the point-of-sale, can communicatenotification of a future electronic discount at the point-of-sale, andmanufacturer 16 may take other applicable action. Additionally,manufacturer 16 may communicate an incentive through UPC server 12 forreceipt by a customer of retail store 14. Alternatively, theabove-described functionality may also be implemented within UPC server12 on behalf of manufacturer 16. Because point-of-sale information iscommunicated on a substantially real-time basis to UPC server 12,incentives may be communicated, if desired, to a customer prior to thecustomer leaving store 14.

Generation of the above-described incentives may include the methodologydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,322 to Deaton et al, includinggenerating incentives based on the purchases of a customer, includingexamination of the products purchased by the customer in past and/orpresent transactions or the customer's economic impact on manufacturer16, as measured by the volume of purchases by a particular customer.Such volume may be measured by dollar amount or other suitable criteria.Generation of incentives to individual customers may also be performedwithout reference to the market position of any particular product of amanufacturer 16. In each of these examples, UPC server 12 may act as anintermediary to maintain privacy concerns of particular individualsshopping at store 14. Thus, UPC server 12 can block, or prevent,providing of any of these types of offers to the customer. UPC server 12may act as an intermediary by maintaining, and not providing tomanufacturer 16, information that would allow manufacturer 16 todetermine the identity of any individual. For example, e-mail addressesand physical addresses may be maintained only by UPC server 12 and notprovided to manufacturers 16.

In addition to providing incentives to the individual customers, amanufacturer 16 may intercede by, in response to assessing its positionin the market on a substantially real-time basis, effect a price changein particular products. Such a price change may be effected throughtraditional techniques or may utilize UPC server 12 to communicate toretail store 14 that the manufacturer 16 is implementing a pricereduction. Such price reduction could include an automatic discount onthe selling price at store 14, which would be subsidized by manufacturer16, or may involve a direct discount to the retail store with asubsequent price change in the selling price at the store 14 determinedby the operator of store 14.

Furthermore, a manufacturer may communicate incentives to customersindependent of the current market position of its products and/orindependent of the purchases of a particular customer in a currenttransaction. Alternatively, UPC server 12 may generate and communicateincentives, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,322, orelsewhere herein, to customers for the benefit of retail store 14,manufacturer 16, or other clients.

Information that may be transmitted to store 14 by UPC server 12 mayinclude electronic discounts, lines of print for the register printer oran auxiliary printer for communication of messages to the customer,information sent back for writing to the customer's smart card to updatethings such as point totals, purchase profiles, etc.

Demographics may also be introduced to provide real-time purchase databased on national, regional, state, city, neighborhood, and even storelevels. Purchases by identified customers may be presented tomanufacturers based on, for example, customer's total spending levels;customer's level of spending on that manufacturer's products; customer'slevel of spending on competitor's products; customer's level of spendingon a department, product class, or product family; and customer's levelof spending on complimentary or companion products, and other customerdata such as size of the household, household income, etc.

The substantially real-time product purchase information may also beutilized by manufacturer computer 53 or UPC server 12 to effectincentives on particular products based on the particular product'sprice relative to a competitive product. Thus, it can be determined thatthe price of a particular product exceeds the price of a competitiveproduct and therefore a price reduction may be effected to beat or matchthe price of the competitive product. By implementing such a system, acustomer may be assured that there are no competitive products that areoffered at a lower price, and therefore the customer would be induced toloyalty to the particular product and would be alleviated from theburden of having to comparison shop.

This type of price matching or beating could be implemented for allcustomers or for only particular customers. Such particular customersmay include customers that are loyal to a particular brand of product,customers that are loyal to a particular product, or customers that areloyal to a particular manufacturer or store. Furthermore, the particularcustomers may be selected by customers who have traditionally not beenloyal to any particular brand, store, or product but rather may beperceived to frequently comparison shop.

The determination that a price of a particular product exceeds acompetitive product may be made on a substantially real-time basis, thusa customer may be assured that it is highly unlikely that it ispurchasing a product at a higher price than a competitive product couldbe purchased at that time. For example, although the present inventioncontemplates substantially real-time communication, it may beappropriate to market to customers that if any competitive product issold at a particular retail store, or one of a plurality of retailstores, within the past thirty minutes or hour, that the price of theparticular product will be reduced to match or beat the price of thecompetitive item.

Similarly, UPC server 12 may grant incentives to customers at store 14,such as immediate electronic discounts, that ensure that the price atwhich a particular product is purchased by the customer is the same orlower than the price at which any other customer has purchased a productwithin a predetermined time period from the retail store 14 or,alternatively, from a group of retail stores 14. Such pricing may beimplemented for particular customers, such as customers who areperceived to be comparison shoppers, or customers who have beendetermined to be particularly loyal to a store or brand, or othercriteria. Loyalty may be measured through the customer's past purchases.Marketing to a customer that his purchases on particular products or allproducts will be priced at or below the lowest price at which theproducts have been purchased from a given store may induce loyalty to aparticular store. Therefore, although each of the above-described typesof clients may find such a process useful, retail store 14 may find sucha process particularly desirable.

The flow of information from UPC server 12 to any individualmanufacturer 16 or client may be based upon particular informationsubscribed to by manufacturer 16. For example, a particular manufacturer16 may wish to receive only information regarding the purchase of themanufacturer's products and the purchase of the manufacturer'scompetitor's products. Thus, UPC server 12 may perform a filteringfunction in which only subscribed to data is transmitted to anyparticular manufacturer 16. Such filtering is described in greaterdetail below in conjunction with FIGS. 6A through 6E.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram illustrating additional details of oneexample of UPC server 12 showing units for receiving information,filtering that information, and distributing the filtered information toappropriate manufacturers 16. In the illustrated embodiment, UPC server12 includes an input port 80 and an output port 82. Input port 80represents circuitry and any associated software utilized to receivepoint-of-sale information from store 14 over communication link 24.Thus, although a limited number of stores 14 are illustrated in FIG. 1,input port 80 may be configured to receive point-of-sale information forall stores associated with UPC server 12. The point-of-sale informationreceived by input port 80 is provided to filter 84. Filter 84 containscircuitry and/or software that identifies the type of point-of-saleinformation and associates that type of point-of-sale information withparticular subscribing manufacturers 16. Such information is provided toan output port 82 for transmission to a particular manufacturer 16. Byproviding filtering capabilities, UPC server 12 alleviates amanufacturer 16 from having to process large amounts of information thatis unrelated to the manufacturer's business.

FIG. 6B is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a UPC serverfor filtering product purchase information from one or more retailstores 14 and providing information to clients such as manufacturers 16,vendors 20, and wholesalers 22. In this example, the filtering functionof UPC server 12 is implemented using computer software stored in amemory accessible by a processor. UPC server 12 in FIG. 6B includesprocessor 60, a storage device 62 coupled to the processor 60, and amemory 64 coupled to the processor. Additionally, an input device 66coupled to processor 60 and an output device 68 coupled to processor 60are illustrated. These elements are analogous to respective elements ofFIG. 4A having the same reference numeral. In this embodiment, memory 64stores a filtering software for providing selected product purchaseinformation to a client, as described in greater detail below inconjunction with FIG. 6C.

FIG. 6C is a flow chart illustrating a method for generating market databased on point-of-sale information received by UPC server 12. The methodbegins at a step 130. At a step 132 Uniform Product Codes for productspurchased from retail stores 14 are received by UPC server 12. In thisembodiment, the prices of the purchase products are also received by UPCserver 12 at step 132. At a step 134 the received Uniform Product Codesare compared to Uniform Product Codes stored in UPC server 12. In oneexample, the stored Uniform Product Codes may be stored in memory 64 orstorage device 62. The stored Uniform Product Codes represent productsfor which a particular client is interested in receiving product data.These products may include products competitive with productsmanufactured by the client, products manufactured by the client,products sold by the client, or other suitable products. At a step 136,the number of times a particular product having a UPC is received byserver 112 is generated. Thus, the number of times a particular productis purchased over a given period of time may be determined. In thisembodiment, the prices for each product associated with a unique UniformProduct Code are determined based upon the received information at step132. Over a suitable time period, at a step 140, the generated number ofincidences of a particular product and the associated price iscommunicated to the client. The method concludes at step 142.

At a step 180, the received Uniform Product Code is stored inassociation with a customer identification for future use in examiningthe customer's purchasing history. For example, the customer'spurchasing history may be used as a basis for generating an incentive tothe customer.

Thus, a manufacturer, for example, may receive substantially real-timeproduct purchase information for a manufacturer's products or productscompetitive with the manufacturer's products, which enables themanufacturer to respond rapidly to market conditions. Alternatively,filtering of product purchase information received from retail store 14may occur directly at the manufacturer level by, either directlyreceiving product purchase information on a substantially real-timebasis from retail store 14, or receiving product purchase informationthrough UPC server 12 from which such filtered data may be determinedaccording to the teachings of the invention.

FIG. 6D is a flow chart illustrating an alternative method forgenerating market data based on point-of-sale information received byUPC server 12. The method begins at step 170. At a step 172 UniformProduct Codes for products purchased from retail stores 14 and theassociated prices for the products are received by UPC server 12. At astep 174, a determination is made of whether the received UniformProduct Code is a Uniform Product Code identifying a particularcustomer. Uniform Product Codes may be imprinted on a customeridentification card. If the Uniform Product Code received at step 172 isin fact an identifier of a particular customer, at a step 176 thecustomer's record of past purchases is retrieved from storage on UPCserver 12. Once the customer's record is retrieved, step 172 continueswith receiving a plurality of Uniform Product Codes and associated pricedata. After making the determination at step 174, UPC server 12 recordsand compiles a summary of the activity of individual Uniform ProductCodes for presenting products by a plurality of customers at a step 178.Such recordation generates information useful by the manufacturer orseller of each particular product for use in marketing. At a step 180,individual purchases may be stored for each customer to further compilea history of any individual's past purchases. At a step 182, the priceat which a particular product was purchased from a particular retailstore is updated in storage in UPC server 12. The process repeats atstep 182.

Thus, summary information related to the activity of products related toa client may be generated from the product purchase information receivedby UPC server 12. This summary information may be communicated to theclient by electronic mail or by other methods.

FIG. 6D is a flow chart illustrating a method for a manufacturer toreceive product purchase information and to effect changes in themarket. The method begins at step 190. At a step 192, a client, such asmanufacturer 16, accesses UPC server 12. Such access may be throughaccessing a web site associated with UPC server 12. At a step 194, UPCserver retrieves parameter lists for a client indicating a UniformProduct Code list for filtering. Such list may include Uniform ProductCodes associated with products for which the client is interested. Suchproducts may include products competitive with the client's products andthe client's products. At a step 196, the client may send additionalfiltering parameters such as time or date ranges, geographical regions,additional Uniform Product Code filtering criteria, or other suitableparameters. At a step 198, UPC server 12 accesses stored data relatingto product purchases at retail stores 14 and provides, to the client,information specified by the filtering parameters provided by the clientat steps 194 and 196. The information may be provided by an electronicmail message, by posting the information on a web site associated withUPC server 12, or by other suitable techniques. At a step 200, theclient analyzes the data to determine if marketing action is needed.Such analysis may be performed, for example, by manufacturer computer53. At a step 102, a decision is made by the client of whether action isneeded. If action is needed, at a step 204 the client sends a responseto UPC server 12 to effect remedial action. Such action may include aprice change, an incentive communicated to kiosk 47, an incentivecommunicated to the point-of-sale, an electronic mail message includingan incentive directed to a customer, or other suitable action. If noaction is needed, the method concludes at step 206.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the automatic response by amanufacturer 16 in response to the meeting of certain thresholdsrelating to the manufacturer's products. The process begins at step 85.At a step 86, information is received by manufacturer 16 as describedabove relating to a particular product. At a step 88, it is determinedwhat criteria will be applied to assessing the position of themanufacturer's products. For example, the market share of the particularproduct may be the criteria used. As another example, the volume ofsales of a particular product may be used as a criteria. As a thirdexample, the relative pricing of the particular product in comparison toits competitor may be used as a criteria. Furthermore, changes in eachof these criteria over a particular period of time may be used as acriteria. For simplicity of description, a market share criteria isadopted for the remainder of this example. A market share of 25% isconsidered desirable and a market share of less than 25% is consideredundesirable.

At a step 90 a determination is made of whether the criteria level isexceeded. In this example, if the market share of the particular productmanufactured by manufacturer 16 has a market share greater than 25%, amanufacturer 16 is satisfied and continues to receive information toremain abreast of the success of the manufacturer's product. If themarket share is less than 25% then intercession is required at step 92,and manufacturer 16 utilizes one of many available options forattempting to increase the criteria level, which in this case is marketshare. By having the opportunity to receive information on asubstantially real-time basis regarding product pricing and purchases,manufacturers 16 may intercede in a timely fashion in a manner nototherwise available. The above described functions may be performed bymanufacturer computer 53 or, alternatively, UPC server 12 on behalf ofmanufacturer 16. It should be understood that wholesaler 22, vendor 20,and store 14 may also utilize such a method to address their desiredmarketing objectives.

According to another aspect of the invention, UPC server 12 operates toconcentrate messages received from manufacturer 16 for delivery tocustomers of store 14. In order to effect the purchase of amanufacturer's product, manufacturer 16 may desire to provide incentivesto customers of store 14, such as coupons or e-mails. According to oneembodiment, UPC server 12 includes circuitry and/or software 70 thatoperates to concentrate promotional messages into a common e-mail sothat customers of store 14 are not inundated with a plurality ofundesired promotional e-mails. According to this embodiment,manufacturer 16 transmits a promotional e-mail to UPC server 12 forreceipt by a particular customer or to customers who meet a particularcriteria, such as, for example, customers who purchase a particularproduct or group of products, number of products, dollar amount ofproducts, or other criteria. Manufacturer 16 identifies the customer ofstore 14 by some sort of identification number. UPC server 12 alsoreceives a plurality of other promotional messages for receipt by thesame customer of store 14, but from different manufacturers 16. UPCserver 16 consolidates these e-mails into a common e-mail that is sentto an e-mail address known by UPC server 12 but not by manufacturers 16.This process helps maintain the privacy of the customer of store 14 andalso reduces the number of e-mails received by the customer.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an example UPC server 12 containingcircuitry and/or software operable to concentrate e-mails provided by aplurality of manufacturers 16 for receipt by a customer of a store 14.In this embodiment, UPC server 12 includes an input port system 94 forreceiving a plurality of e-mails from a plurality of manufacturers 16.These e-mails are provided to a concentrator system 96. Concentratorsystem 96 consolidates a plurality of e-mails destined for a common userinto a common e-mail message. The e-mails may have been originallydirected to a particular customer by manufacturers 16 by, for example,use of a customer identification number. Alternatively, manufacturers 16may provide an e-mail including an incentive in combination withcriteria, either in the e-mail or otherwise communicated, for whomreceipt of the e-mail is intended. Such criteria may include thepurchase or non-purchase of a particular product or group of products,volume of purchase, dollar amount of purchases, or other suitablecriteria. In response, concentration system 96 determines the particularcustomers who should receive the e-mail based on the specified criteria.This common e-mail message is provided to output port system 98, whichin turn transmits the common e-mail to a customer of store 14. Suchtransmission may be effected on a periodic basis, such as daily, orother suitable time period. This e-mail message may be transmitted tocustomer computer 18. Alternatively, data relative to the concentratedgroup of incentives, may be transmitted to a customer at thepoint-of-sale, such as to a customer receipt, to the customer at kiosk47, or to any other suitable location. In this manner, UPC server 12also operates to facilitate transmission of promotional messages to thecustomer, in addition to providing a means of communication ofpoint-of-sale data to a manufacturer on a substantially real-time basis.The UPC server 12 of FIG. 8A may be implemented using a combination ofhardware and software similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 6B.

FIG. 8B is a flow chart illustrating a method for concentrating aplurality of incentives into a common message for receipt by a customer.The method begins at step 150. At a step 152 a plurality of incentivesare received at UPC server 12. In this embodiment, a plurality ofelectronic mail messages are received with an identifier indicating aparticular customer for whom receipt of the respective incentive isintended. The identification may be an identification number that may bematched to the customer only by UPC server 12; however, other suitableidentification numbers may be used. At a step 154 all electronic mailmessages having a common identifier are compiled into a single document.At a step 156 UPC server 12 initiates communication of the singledocument to each respective customer. Communication to the customer ofthe single document may include transmitting an electronic mail messageto customer computer 18 or transmitting data to the customer at thepoint-of-sale, including printing a message on a customer receipt at thepoint-of-sale. The method concludes at step 160.

The plurality of incentives may be received by UPC server 12 frommanufacturers 16, vendors 20, wholesalers 22, retailers 14, or othersuitable party. The incentives may be generated according to any of theplurality of techniques described above, or other suitable techniques.For example, a customer may provide a shopping list to UPC server 12 andin response at least one item on the shopping list is transmitted to,for example, manufacturer 16. In response, manufacturer 16 generates anincentive for receipt by the customer. The incentive may provide adiscount on the item, a discount on a item competitive with the item, orother suitable discounts.

In this manner, a customer may receive a plurality of incentives withoutbeing inundated with a voluminous number of messages. Furthermore, ifdesired, such incentives may be made on an anonymous basis by use ofcustomer identifiers known only to UPC server 12.

FIG. 8C is a flow chart illustrating an alternative embodiment forconcentrating a plurality of incentives into a common message forreceipt by a customer. The method begins at a step 210. At a step 212,UPC server 12 receives a plurality of parameters along with one or moreelectronic mail messages associated with the parameters. The parametersare provided by clients, such as manufacturers 16, vendors 20, orwholesalers 22. The parameters may specify, as described above, criteriafrom which a determination may be made whether a particular incentivecontained in an e-mail is directed to a customer. For example, theparameters may include the purchase of a particular product, thepurchase of a group of products, the nonpurchase of a particular productor group of products, a customer meeting a predetermined purchasinghistory criteria, such as volume of purchases, or dollar amount ofpurchases. The parameters may also include additional suitable criteria,such as the criteria specified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,322 to Deaton, etal.

At a step 214, UPC server 12 analyzes the product purchase informationreceived from a plurality of stores 14 over communication link 24 todetermine whether an e-mail message should be sent to a particularcustomer based upon the parameters received at step 212. At a step 216,all applicable electronic mail messages destined for a particularcustomer are consolidated into a single concise document forcommunication to the customer. The incentives included in theconsolidated document may be include incentives that were directedspecifically to the particular customers as well as the incentivesdetermined at step 214 from the parameters at step 212. At a step 218,an electronic mail message is sent to customer computer 18.Alternatively, the electronic mail message may be converted into data ofsuitable form that may transmitted to the customer at other locations.For example, data relative to the incentives included in theconsolidated electronic mail message may be communicated to the customerat the point-of-sale by printing the incentives on a customer receipt orby communicating the incentives to kiosk 47. Other suitable forms ofcommunication of the consolidated electronic mail message may also beused. The method concludes at step 220.

According to another aspect of the invention, UPC server includescircuitry and/or software for facilitating both coupon redemptionvalidation and electronic settlement mechanisms for incentives offeredby the manufacturer, as illustrated in FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the use of UPC server infacilitating coupon redemption validation and electronic crediting.Traditionally, coupons are marked with a Uniform Product Code and thus,bar codes scanned from a coupon may also be provided to manufacturer 16by UPC server 12 as indicated by arrow 102. Thus, manufacturer 16 isable to receive both the product Uniform Product Code and the UniformProduct Code associated with a coupon for that product. Therefore, themanufacturer may verify the proper redemption of a manufacturer couponand provide an appropriate credit to store 14. Such redemptionverification includes verifying that the product associated with thecoupon is actually purchased. Verification may also include verifyingthe price at which the product was purchased. In addition, forincentives associated with a particular customer, the identity of theperson receiving a discount may be verified. Manufacturer computer 53may be used to perform these functions. Alternatively, UPC server 12 mayinclude circuitry and/or software 70 for also performing this validationand for providing manufacturer 16 a summary of the number and amount ofcoupons redeemed for the particular manufacturer. In either event, onceverified manufacturer 16 may effect a credit, demonstrated by arrow 104,directed to store 14 in the amount of the redeemed coupons. The creditmay be communicated to store 14 through UPC server 12 or directly tostore 14. Such communication may utilize an electronic mail message orother suitable mechanism. Because product information may be received ona substantially real-time basis, coupon redemption validation may alsobe performed rapidly.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an additional embodiment of theinvention in which UPC server 12 facilitates electronic settlement ofcredit and debits between store 14 and manufacturer 16. According to oneaspect of the invention, manufacturer 16 may respond in a substantiallyreal-time basis to market developments to attempt to adjust the relativemarket share of a manufacturer's product, or attempt to adjust to othermarket conditions to attempt to generate desirable product sales of themanufacturer's products.

One adjustment made by manufacturer 16 is the downward adjustment ofprice at which the manufacturer's product will be sold. Manufacturer 16may effect such a downward adjustment in price by specifying to store 14the price at which the store should sell the product and by granting acredit to the store 14 for each such product purchased. Such a methodfor adjusting to market conditions may require a settlement mechanismbetween manufacturer 16 and store 14 to account for the lower priceoffered by store 14 at the request of manufacturer 16. UPC server 12therefore, may receive from store 14 Uniform Product Codes and the priceinformation that is also transmitted to manufacturer 16. Manufacturer 16may then be able to assess the number of its products sold at a discountand the amount of discount owed store 14. In response, manufacturer 16may provide a credit notification through UPC server 12 for transmissionto store 14, thus effecting electronic settlement of temporary pricereductions offered by a manufacturer and implemented by a store. Suchelectronic settlement may also be utilized to compensate store 14 forredeemed coupons or application of other discounts effected at theinitiative of manufacturer 16.

It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the above-describedreconciliation process may be implemented through direct coupling ofstore 14 to manufacturer 16 without the use of UPC server 12 as anintermediary.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a system 106 for remotely effecting aproduct price change in a retail store. System 106 includes a tagcontroller 108 connected to a plurality of electronic tags 112 via acommunication link 114. According to one embodiment, communication link114 comprises an FM transmitter for transmitting to electronic tags 112the price to be displayed on each individual electronic tag 112.According to another embodiment, communication link 114 comprises asuitable conductive transmission medium, such as electrical wires. Thesystem also includes a UPC server 12 connected to tag controller 110 viaa communication link 110. According to one embodiment, tag controller108 is located in a store, such as store 14, that is connected to UPCserver 12. According to the same embodiment, communication link 110utilizes the Internet. Communication link 110 allows UPC server 12 toprovide an updated price for an item, such as the manufacturer'sproduct, in response to the: determination by the manufacturer based onsubstantially real-time data that it would be desirable to effect achange in price of the manufacturer's product. UPC server 12communicates a signal indicating such a change to tag controller 108.Tag controller then provides such a signal along communication link 114to a particular electronic tag 112 associated with the manufacturerproduct. Electronic tags 112 may be positioned, on a shelf near thelocation of the product. UPC server 12 may also communicate the pricechange to store 14 so that store 14 may maintain for its own records theadjusted price and verify any credits provided by manufacturer 16.

Therefore, manufacturer 16 may remotely effect a price change in one ofits products in response to the analysis of data regarding the sale ofits products or its competitors products. In addition, tag controller108 may also provide price information to UPC server 12 so that theprice information received from points of sale 36, 38 and 40 may beverified against the prices displayed by the electronic tags 112 instore 14. Further, UPC server 12 may communicate the price changes toregister controller 46 to maintain consistency between electronic tags112 and register controller 46. Alternatively, register controller 44may communicate directly with register controller 44, with registercontroller 44 providing the price change to tag controller 108.

In addition to providing product purchase and price information at thepoint-of-sale to the manufacturer, UPC server 12 also allows access tocustomers of product purchase and pricing information.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of a portion of system 10, showingthe exchange of communication between customer computer 18 and UPCserver 12. In this example, a user of customer computer 18 submits ashopping list to UPC server 12, as designated by arrow 116. In response,UPC server 12 submits a price list having the price of each item at eachstore 14 at which the user might shop, as designated by arrow 118.Therefore, by accessing UPC server 12, customers may determine at whichstore to shop for all items or for particular items. As an example, acustomer selects one or more stores to price items and enters items tobe priced. The customer's purchase history is used to aid the customerin selecting items for pricing. As items are presented for pricing,deals can optionally be presented to the customer that are based onitems being priced. For example, Brand A paper towels is presented inthe customer's list for pricing, so a deal that is stored for Brand Bpaper towels is presented to the customer. The prices for the customer'sitems are accessed from each store's item list and presented to thecustomer in total. One or more of the stores may have discount ratesstored based on a customer's spending level. For example, the customerspends an average of $135.00 per week at Store A, and Store A has storedin its pricing table that any customer spending on average $75.00 ormore per week would be presented with an incentive of 5% on purchasestotaling $50.00 to $75.00 and 8% on purchase totals that exceed $75.00.This discount would be factored in and presented to the customer. Thecustomer would then print out the shopping list stored by retail aislefor that particular store to facilitate shopping efficiency.Alternatively, the list could be processed for home delivery.

Further, discounts may be electronically stored on UPC server 12 or aweb site 124 associated with store 14 for subsequent access by thecustomer. The electronic discounts may also communicate to store 14 forapplication when the customer is identified purchasing the productassociated with the discount. Alternatively, the electronic discountsmay be made available to customer in a printed format by allowingcustomer computer to download a redeemable coupon stored on either astore web site 124 or UPC server 12. The customer may then print theredeemable coupon on a printer associated with customer computer 18.Such a coupon may include a unique identification number that isavailable at store 14 to prevent unlawful duplication of redeemablecoupons. Once a coupon having a unique identification number isredeemed, no other coupons having that same number will be redeemed.Alternatively, a manufacturer may communicate product discounts to storeweb site 124, through UPC server 12, for viewing by customers.

Furthermore, when shopping list 116 is submitted, UPC server may offerto one or more manufacturers 16 the opportunity to provide incentives tothe particular customer submitting a shopping list. For example,manufacturer 16 may wish to offer incentives to such a customer, thecontent of the incentive being directed to the manufacturer's competingproduct for a product submitted in the shopping list. The providing ofsuch incentives is illustrated by arrow 120.

Additional types of incentives, such as those described above, may alsobe utilized, including incentives associated with the price at which aparticular item or an item competitive with a particular item waspurchased at a give store 14 or any store 14 during a predetermined timeperiod prior to receipt of the shopping list. Therefore, for example, acustomer may be induced to loyalty to a particular brand if the customerknows the manufacturer will always match or beat the price of particularproducts competitive with products of a particular brand. Furthermore, acustomer may be induced to loyalty to a particular store if the customerknows the retail store 14 will match or beat the prices offered by theother stores 14 on the products purchased by the customer. In addition,UPC server 12 may communicate a sorted shopping list, which may or maynot include customer incentives, that is configured according to theplacement of the various items in a particular store 14, as designatedby arrow 122. Thus, the customer may receive an e-mail displaying a mapof the aisles of the store with the products provided by the customer inthe shopping list at 116 indicated in a location corresponding to theactual location of the particular product in the store 14. Therefore, aparticular customer may be more likely to visit a store in which ashopping list is provided showing the particular location of each itemthe customer desires. For example, a shopper may actually be a spouse orfriend of the underlying purchaser, and may not typically frequent aparticular store. Therefore, having a list identifying the particularlocation at which each particular item is offered for sale may induce acustomer to use the services of a particular store rather than adifferent store.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, andalternatives can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Forexample, an embodiment of the invention has been described in thecontext of utilizing UPC codes; however, it is explicitly contemplatedthat the teachings of the invention may be incorporated with other typesof codes representative of products, including existing codes and codesyet to be developed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for use in marketing, the methodcomprising: receiving, at a remote computer at a remote location,substantially real-time product purchase information from a retail storein conjunction with an identification code of a customer purchasing theproducts at a point of sale during a current transaction, the remotecomputer coupled to the retail store and at least one second store;generating at the remote location an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer; and initiating communication of data relative tothe incentive to the identified customer at the point-of-sale forreceipt by the identified customer during the current shoppingtransaction.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating at the remotelocation an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive based upon the product purchaseinformation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating at the remotelocation an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive based on information independent ofthe product purchase information.
 4. The method of claim 2, whereingenerating an incentive further comprises generating the incentive basedon past purchases of the identified customer.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein generating an incentive comprises generating an incentive basedupon past purchases of the identified customer.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to the identifiedcustomer comprises generating an incentive that is associated with theproducts.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an incentive tobe communicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is not associated with the products.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein initiating communication of data relative to theincentive comprises initiating communication of a notification of afuture electronic discount to the identified customer at thepoint-of-sale.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive comprises initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive to a printer located atthe point-of-sale.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive comprises initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive to a computer coupled tothe retail store for retransmission to the customer at thepoint-of-sale.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive comprises initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive directly to the retailstore for receipt by the customer at the point-of-sale.
 12. A methodcomprising: receiving at a remote computer substantially real-timeproduct purchase information from a retail store in conjunction with anidentification code of a customer purchasing the products in a currenttransaction, the remote computer located remote from the retail storeand coupled to a second store; generating, by the remote computer, anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer; andcommunicating the generated incentive from the remote computer to theretail store such that the customer receives the incentive at the retailstore during the current transaction.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein communicating the generated incentive comprises transmitting thegenerated incentive to a point-of-sale in the retail store.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein transmitting the generated incentive to apoint-of-sale in the retail store comprises transmitting the generatedincentive to a printer located at the point-of-sale in the retail store.15. The method of claim 12, wherein generating, by the remote computer,an incentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating, by the remote computer, an incentive based on the productpurchase information received for the current transaction.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, wherein generating, by the remote computer, anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisegenerating, by the remote computer an incentive independent of theproducts purchased by the customer in the current transaction.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, wherein generating, by the remote computer, anincentives to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating, by the remote computer, an incentive associated with aproduct purchased by the customer in the current transaction.
 18. Themethod of claim 12, and further comprising storing customer purchaseinformation received on a substantially real-time basis in at least oneprior transaction.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein generating, bythe remote computer, an incentive to be communicated to the identifiedcustomer comprises generating, by the remote computer, an incentivebased on the particular products purchased by the customer in the atleast one previous transaction.
 20. The method of claim 18, whereingenerating, by the remote computer, an incentive to be communicated tothe identified customer comprises generating, by the remote computer, anincentive based on a combination of the customer purchase informationreceived in the at least one prior transaction and the product purchaseinformation received for the current transaction.
 21. A methodcomprising: detecting at a remote computer substantially real-timeproduct purchase information from a retail store of a customerpurchasing the products in a current transaction, the remote computerlocated remote from the retail store and coupled to the retail store andat least one second store; generating, by the remote computer, anincentive to be communicated to the customer in response to determiningthat the customer's current transaction with the store meets apredetermined shopping criteria; and communicating the generatedincentive from the remote computer to the retail store such that thecustomer receives the incentive at the retail store during the currenttransaction.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the product purchaseinformation includes the price at which purchased products werepurchased and wherein the predetermined criteria comprises the dollaramount spent in the current transaction.
 23. The method of claim 21,wherein the predetermined shopping criteria comprises the purchase of aparticular product.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the generatedincentive comprises a discount on the future purchase of a product. 25.The method of claim 24, wherein communicating the generated incentivecomprises providing a redeemable coupon for a particular product. 26.The method of claims 21, wherein detecting at a remote computersubstantially real-time product purchase information from a retail storeof a customer comprises detecting a code associated with the customer.27. The method of claim 21, wherein generating, by the remote computer,an incentive to be communicated to the customer comprises generating anincentive in response to determining that the customer's priortransactions with the store meets a predetermined shopping criteria. 28.The method of claim 21 wherein generating, by the remote computer, anincentive to be communicated to the customer comprises generating anincentive in response to determining that the customer's currenttransaction includes the purchase of a product that is a companionproduct to a predetermined product.
 29. A system comprising a computercoupled to at least two retail stores, the computer located remote fromthe retail stores, the computer comprising: a processor; a memoryaccessible by the processor, and a computer program stored in thememory, the computer program operable to be executed on the processorand further operable, for each of the retail stores, to: detectsubstantially real-time product purchase information from a retail storein conjunction with an identification code of a customer purchasing theproducts in a current transaction; generate an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer; and initiate communication ofthe generated incentive from the remote computer to the retail storesuch that the customer receives the incentive at the retail store duringthe current transaction.
 30. A method for use in marketing, the methodcomprising: receiving, at a remote computer at a remote location,substantially real-time transaction information from a retail store inconjunction with an identification code of a customer conducting acurrent transaction with the retail store during a shopping transaction,the remote computer coupled to the retail store and coupled to at leastone second store; generating at the remote location an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer; and initiating communication ofdata relative to the incentive to the identified customer at the retailstore for receipt by the identified customer during the shoppingtransaction.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein generating at theremote location an incentive to be communicated to the identifiedcustomer comprises generating an incentive based upon the transactioninformation.
 32. The method of claim 30, wherein generating at theremote location an incentive to be communicated to the identifiedcustomer comprises generating an incentive based on informationindependent of the transaction information.
 33. The method of claim 31,wherein generating an incentive further comprises generating theincentive based on past transactions of the identified customer.
 34. Themethod of claim 30, wherein generating an incentive comprises generatingan incentive based upon past transactions of the identified customer.35. The method of claim 30, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is associated with the amount of the current transaction.36. The method of claim 30, wherein initiating communication of datarelative to the incentive comprises initiating communication of anotification of a future electronic discount to the identified customerat the point-of-sale.
 37. The method of claim 30, wherein initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive comprises initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive to a printer located atthe retail store.
 38. The method of claim 30, and further comprisingstoring data relative to past transactions of the customer with theretail store.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein generating anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is associated with the dollar amounts ofthe past transactions.
 40. The method of claim 38, wherein generating anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is associated with the dollar amount of thecurrent transaction and the dollar amounts of the prior transactions.41. The method of claim 38, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is based on the dollar amounts of the past transactions.42. The method of claim 38, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is based on the dollar amount of the current transactionand the dollar amounts of the past transactions.
 43. The method of claim38, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to the identifiedcustomer comprises generating an incentive that is associated with thetender amount of the current transaction and the tender amounts of theprior transactions.
 44. The method of claim 38, wherein generating anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprises ortnincentive that is based on the tender amounts of the past transactions.45. The method of claim 38, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprising an incentive that isbased on the tender amount of the current transaction and the tenderamounts of the past transactions.
 46. The method of claim 38, whereingenerating an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive that is based on the tender amount ofthe current transaction.
 47. The method of claim 38, wherein generatingan incentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is based on the purchase volume of thecurrent transaction and the purchase volumes of the past transactions.48. The method of claim 38, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is associated with the purchase volume of the currenttransaction and the purchase volumes of the prior transactions.
 49. Themethod of claim 38, wherein generating an incentive to be communicatedto the identified customer comprises generating an incentive that isbased on the purchase volumes of the past transactions.
 50. The methodof claim 38, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is based onthe purchase volume of the current transaction and the purchase volumesof the past transactions.
 51. The method of claim 30, wherein the amountof the incentive is based on the dollar amount of the currenttransaction.
 52. The method of claim 38, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount of the current transaction andthe dollar amounts of the past transactions.
 53. The method of claim 30,wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount of thecurrent transaction and wherein the incentive is for a particularproduct, the particular product based on a product in the currenttransaction.
 54. The method of claim 38, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount of the current transaction andwherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on a product purchased in the past transactions.
 55. Themethod of claim 38, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thedollar amount of the past transactions and wherein the incentive is fora particular product, the particular product based on a product in thecurrent transaction.
 56. The method of claim 38, wherein the amount ofthe incentive is based on a combination of the dollar amounts of thepast and currents transactions and wherein the incentive is for aparticular product, the particular product purchased by the customer inthe current transaction or the past transactions.
 57. The method ofclaim 38, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is associatedwith the purchase volume of the current transaction and the purchasevolumes of the prior transactions.
 58. The method of claim 38, whereingenerating an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive for a particular product.
 59. Themethod of claim 38, wherein generating an incentive to be communicatedto the identified customer comprises generating an incentive that isredeemable for more than one product.
 60. The method of claim 30,wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the purchase volume ofthe current transaction.
 61. The method of claim 38, wherein the amountof the incentive is based on the purchase volume of the currenttransaction and the purchase volumes of the past transactions.
 62. Themethod of claim 30, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thepurchase volume of the current transaction and wherein the incentive isfor a particular product, the particular product based on a product inthe current transaction.
 63. The method of claim 38, wherein the amountof the incentive is based on the purchase volume of the currenttransaction and wherein the incentive is for a particular product, theparticular product based on a product purchased in the pasttransactions.
 64. The method of claim 38, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the purchase volume of the past transactions andwherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on a product in the current transaction.
 65. The method ofclaim 38, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on a combinationof the purchase volumes of the past and currents transactions andwherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct purchased by the customer in the current transaction or the pasttransactions.
 66. The method of claim 38, wherein generating anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is associated with the purchase volume ofthe current transaction and the purchase volumes of the priortransactions.
 67. The method of claim 30, wherein the incentive is for aparticular product and wherein the particular product is based on thepurchase of products in the current transaction by the identifiedcustomer from a predetermined department in the retail store.
 68. Themethod of claim 38, wherein the incentive is for a particular productand wherein the particular product is based on the purchase of productsin the past transactions by the identified customer from a predetermineddepartment in the retail store.
 69. The method of claim 38, wherein theincentive is for a particular product and wherein the particular productis based on the purchase of products in the current or past transactionsby the identified customer from a predetermined department in the retailstore.
 70. The method of claim 30, wherein the incentive is for aparticular product and wherein the particular product is based on thepurchase of products in the current transaction by the identifiedcustomer from a predetermined group of products.
 71. The method of claim38, wherein the incentive is for a particular product and wherein theparticular product is based on the purchase of products in the pasttransactions by the identified customer from a predetermined group ofproducts.
 72. The method of claim 38, wherein the incentive is for aparticular product and wherein the particular product is based on thepurchase of products in the current or past transactions by theidentified customer from a predetermined group of products.
 73. Themethod of claim 30, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thedollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in apredetermined department in the retail store.
 74. The method of claim38, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on products in the past transactionsfrom a predetermined department in the retail store.
 75. The method ofclaim 38, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollaramount spent by the identified customer on products in the current orpast transactions from a predetermined department in the retail store.76. The method of claim 30, wherein the amount of the incentive is basedon the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in thecurrent transaction by the identified customer from a predeterminedgroup of products.
 77. The method of claim 38, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customeron products in the past transactions from a predetermined group ofproducts.
 78. The method of claim 38, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customeron products in the current or past transactions from a predeterminedgroup of products.
 79. The method of claim 30, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customeron a particular product.
 80. The method of claim 38, wherein the amountof the incentive is based on the dollar amount spent by the identifiedcustomer on a particular product in the past transactions.
 81. Themethod of claim 38, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thedollar amount spent by the identified customer on a particular productin the current or past transactions.
 82. The method of claim 30, whereinthe incentive is for a particular product, the particular product basedon the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in apredetermined department in the retail store.
 83. The method of claim38, wherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer onproducts in the past transactions from a predetermined department in theretail store.
 84. The method of claim 38, wherein the incentive is for aparticular product, the particular product based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on products in the current or pasttransactions from a predetermined department in the retail store. 85.The method of claim 30, wherein the incentive is for a particularproduct, the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the current transaction by theidentified customer from a predetermined group of products.
 86. Themethod of claim 38, wherein the incentive is for a particular product,the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the past transactions from apredetermined group of products.
 87. The method of claim 38, wherein theincentive is for a particular product, the particular product based onthe dollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in thecurrent or past transactions from a predetermined group of products. 88.The method of claim 30, wherein the incentive is for a particularproduct, the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on a particular product.
 89. The method of claim 38,wherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on aparticular product in the past transactions.
 90. The method of claim 38,wherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on aparticular product in the current or past transactions.
 91. The methodof claim 30, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive for a particularproduct.
 92. The method of claim 30, wherein generating an incentive tobe communicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is redeemable for more than one product.
 93. A methodcomprising: receiving, at a remote computer, substantially real-timetransaction information from a retail store in conjunction with anidentification code of a customer conducting a current transaction withthe retail store, the remote computer located remote from the retailstore and coupled to a second store; generating, by the remote computer,an incentive to be communicated to the identified customer; andcommunicating the generated incentive from the remote computer to theretail store such that the customer receives the incentive at the retailstore during the current transaction.
 94. The method of claim 93,wherein generating, by the remote computer, an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive based upon the transaction information.
 95. The method ofclaim 93, wherein generating, by the remote computer, an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive based on information independent of the transactioninformation.
 96. The method of claim 94, wherein generating an incentivefurther comprises generating the incentive based on past transactions ofthe identified customer.
 97. The method of claim 93, wherein generatingan incentive comprises generating an incentive based upon pasttransactions of the identified customer.
 98. The method of claim 93,wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to the identifiedcustomer comprises generating an incentive that is associated with theamount of the current transaction.
 99. The method of claim 93, whereincommunicating the generated incentive comprises communicating anotification of a future electronic discount to the identified customerat the point-of-sale.
 100. The method of claim 93, wherein communicatingthe generated incentive comprises transmitting data relative to theincentive to a printer located at the retail store.
 101. The method ofclaim 93, and further comprising storing data relative to pasttransactions of the customer with the retail store.
 102. The method ofclaim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is associatedwith the dollar amounts of the past transactions.
 103. The method ofclaim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is associatedwith the dollar amount of the current transaction and the dollar amountsof the prior transactions.
 104. The method of claim 101, whereingenerating an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive that is based on the dollar amounts ofthe past transactions.
 105. The method of claim 101, wherein generatingan incentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is based on the dollar amount of thecurrent transaction and the dollar amounts of the past transactions.106. The method of claim 101, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is associated with the tender amount of the currenttransaction and the tender amounts of the prior transactions.
 107. Themethod of claim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicatedto the identified customer comprises generating an incentive that isbased on the tender amounts of the past transactions.
 108. The method ofclaim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is based onthe tender amount of the current transaction and the tender amounts ofthe past transactions.
 109. The method of claim 101, wherein generatingan incentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is based on the tender amount of thecurrent transaction.
 110. The method of claim 101, wherein generating anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is based on the purchase volume of thecurrent transaction and the purchase volumes of the past transactions.111. The method of claim 101, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is associated with the purchase volume of the currenttransaction and the purchase volumes of the prior transactions.
 112. Themethod of claim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicatedto the identified customer comprises generating an incentive that isbased on the purchase volumes of the past transactions.
 113. The methodof claim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is based onthe purchase volume of the current transaction and the purchase volumesof the past transactions.
 114. The method of claim 93, wherein theamount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount of the currenttransaction.
 115. The method of claim 101, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount of the current transaction andthe dollar amounts of the past transactions.
 116. The method of claim93, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount ofthe current transaction and wherein the incentive is for a particularproduct, the particular product based on a product in the currenttransaction.
 117. The method of claim 101, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount of the current transaction andwherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on a product purchased in the past transactions.
 118. Themethod of claim 101, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thedollar amount of the past transactions and wherein the incentive is fora particular product, the particular product based on a product in thecurrent transaction.
 119. The method of claim 101, wherein the amount ofthe incentive is based on a combination of the dollar amounts of thepast and currents transactions and wherein the incentive is for aparticular product, the particular product purchased by the customer inthe current transaction or the past transactions.
 120. The method ofclaim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is associatedwith the purchase volume of the current transaction and the purchasevolumes of the prior transactions.
 121. The method of claim 101, whereingenerating an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive for a particular product.
 122. Themethod of claim 101, wherein generating an incentive to be communicatedto the identified customer comprises generating an incentive that isredeemable for more than one product.
 123. The method of claim 93,wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the purchase volume ofthe current transaction.
 124. The method of claim 101, wherein theamount of the incentive is based on the purchase volume of the currenttransaction and the purchase volumes of the past transactions.
 125. Themethod of claim 93, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thepurchase volume of the current transaction and wherein the incentive isfor a particular product, the particular product based on a product inthe current transaction.
 126. The method of claim 101, wherein theamount of the incentive is based on the purchase volume of the currenttransaction and wherein the incentive is for a particular product, theparticular product based on a product purchased in the pasttransactions.
 127. The method of claim 101, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the purchase volume of the past transactions andwherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on a product in the current transaction.
 128. The methodof claim 101, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on acombination of the purchase volumes of the past and currentstransactions and wherein the incentive is for a particular product, theparticular product purchased by the customer in the current transactionor the past transactions.
 129. The method of claim 101, whereingenerating an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive that is associated with the purchasevolume of the current transaction and the purchase volumes of the priortransactions.
 130. The method of claim 93, wherein the incentive is fora particular product and wherein the particular product is based on thepurchase of products in the current transaction by the identifiedcustomer from a predetermined department in the retail store.
 131. Themethod of claim 101, wherein the incentive is for a particular productand wherein the particular product is based on the purchase of productsin the past transactions by the identified customer from a predetermineddepartment in the retail store.
 132. The method of claim 101, whereinthe incentive is for a particular product and wherein the particularproduct is based on the purchase of products in the current or pasttransactions by the identified customer from a predetermined departmentin the retail store.
 133. The method of claim 93, wherein the incentiveis for a particular product and wherein the particular product is bas onthe purchase of products in the current transaction by the identifiedcustomer from a predetermined group of products.
 134. The method ofclaim 101, wherein the incentive is for a particular product and whereinthe particular product is based on the purchase of products in the pasttransactions by the identified customer from a predetermined group ofproducts.
 135. The method of claim 101, wherein the incentive is for aparticular product and wherein the particular product is based on thepurchase of products in the current or past transactions by theidentified customer from a predetermined group of products.
 136. Themethod of claim 93, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thedollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in apredetermined department in the retail store.
 137. The method of claim101, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on products in the past transactionsfrom a predetermined department in the retail store.
 138. The method ofclaim 101, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollaramount spent by the identified customer on products in the current orpast transactions from a predetermined department in the retail store.139. The method of claim 93, wherein the amount of the incentive isbased on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on productsin the current transaction by the identified customer from apredetermined group of products.
 140. The method of claim 101, whereinthe amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the past transactions from apredetermined group of products.
 141. The method of claim 101, whereinthe amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the current or past transactions froma predetermined group of products.
 142. The method of claim 93, whereinthe amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on a particular product.
 143. The method of claim101, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on a particular product in the pasttransactions.
 144. The method of claim 101, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customeron a particular product in the current or past transactions.
 145. Themethod of claim 93, wherein the incentive is for a particular product,the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in a predetermined department in theretail store.
 146. The method of claim 101, wherein the incentive is fora particular product, the particular product based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on products in the past transactionsfrom a predetermined department in the retail store.
 147. The method ofclaim 101, wherein the incentive is for a particular product, theparticular product based on the dollar amount spent by the identifiedcustomer on products in the current or past transactions from apredetermined department in the retail store.
 148. The method of claim93, wherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer onproducts in the current transaction by the identified customer from apredetermined group of products.
 149. The method of claim 101, whereinthe incentive is for a particular product, the particular product basedon the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in thepast transactions from a predetermined group of products.
 150. Themethod of claim 101, wherein the incentive is for a particular product,the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the current or past transactions froma predetermined group of products.
 151. The method of claim 93, whereinthe incentive is for a particular product, the particular product basedon the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on a particularproduct.
 152. The method of claim 101, wherein the incentive is for aparticular product, the particular product based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on a particular product in the pasttransactions.
 153. The method of claim 101, wherein the incentive is fora particular product, the particular product based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on a particular product in the currentor past transactions.
 154. A method comprising: detecting at a remotecomputer substantially real-time transaction information from a retailstore of a customer conducting a current transaction with the retailstore, the remote computer located remote from the retail store andcoupled to the retail store and at least one second store; generating,by the remote computer, an incentive to be communicated to the customerin response to determining that the customer's current transaction withthe retail store meets a predetermined shopping criteria; andcommunicating the generated incentive from the remote computer to theretail store such that the customer receives the incentive at the retailstore during the current transaction.
 155. The method of claim 154,wherein the transaction information includes the price at which productswere purchased in the current transaction and wherein the predeterminedcriteria comprises the dollar amount spent in the current transaction.156. The method of claim 154, wherein the predetermined shoppingcriteria comprises the purchase of a particular product.
 157. The methodof claim 154, wherein the generated incentive comprises a discount onthe future purchase of a product.
 158. The method of claim 157, whereincommunicating the generated incentive comprises providing a redeemablecoupon for a particular product.
 159. The method of claim 154, whereindetecting at a remote computer substantially real-time product purchaseinformation from a retail store of a customer comprises detecting a codeassociated with the customer.
 160. The method of claim 154, whereingenerating, by the remote computer, an incentive to be communicated tothe customer comprises generating an incentive in response todetermining that the customers prior transactions with the store meets apredetermined shopping criteria.
 161. The method of claim 154, whereingenerating, by the remote computer, an incentive to be communicated tothe customer comprises generating an incentive in response todetermining that the customer's current transaction includes thepurchase of a product that is a companion product to a predeterminedproduct.
 162. The method of claim 154, wherein generating at the remotelocation an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive based upon the transactioninformation.
 163. The method of claim 154, wherein generating at theremote location an incentive to be communicated to the identifiedcustomer comprises generating an incentive based on informationindependent of the transaction information.
 164. The method of claim155, wherein generating an incentive further comprises generating theincentive based on past transactions of the identified customer. 165.The method of claim 154, wherein generating an incentive comprisesgenerating an incentive based upon past transactions of the identifiedcustomer.
 166. The method of claim 154, wherein generating an incentiveto be communicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is associated with the amount of the current transaction.167. The method of claim 154, wherein initiating communication of datarelative to the incentive comprises initiating communication of anotification of a future electronic discount to the identified customerat the point-of-sale.
 168. The method of claim 154, wherein initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive comprises initiatingcommunication of data relative to the incentive to a printer located atthe retail store.
 169. The method of claim 154, and further comprisingstoring data relative to past transactions of the customer with theretail store.
 170. The method of claim 162, wherein generating anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is associated with the dollar amounts ofthe past transactions.
 171. The method of claim 162, wherein generatingan incentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive that is associated with the dollar amount of thecurrent transaction and the dollar amounts of the prior transactions.172. The method of claim 162, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is based on the dollar amounts of the past transactions.173. The method of claim 162, wherein generating an incentive to becommunicated to the identified customer comprises generating anincentive that is based on the dollar amount of the current transactionand the dollar amounts of the past transactions.
 174. The method ofclaim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollaramount of the current transaction and the dollar amounts of the pasttransactions.
 175. The method of claim 154, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the dollar amount of the current transaction andwherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on a product in the current transaction.
 176. The methodof claim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollaramount of the current transaction and wherein the incentive is for aparticular product, the particular product based on a product purchasedin the past transactions.
 177. The method of claim 162, wherein theamount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount of the pasttransaction and wherein the incentive is for a particular product, theparticular product based on a product in the current transaction. 178.The method of claim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive is based ona combination of the dollar amounts of the past and currentstransactions and wherein the incentive is for a particular product, theparticular product purchased by the customer in the current transactionor the past transactions.
 179. The method of claim 162, whereingenerating an incentive to be communicated to the identified customercomprises generating an incentive that is associated with the purchasevolume of the current transaction and the purchase volumes of the priortransactions.
 180. The method of claim 154, wherein generating anincentive to be communicated to the identified customer comprisesgenerating an incentive for a particular product.
 181. The method ofclaim 154, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive that is redeemablefor more than one product.
 182. The method of claim 154, wherein theamount of the incentive is based on the purchase volume of the currenttransaction.
 183. The method of claim 162, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the purchase volume of the current transaction andthe purchase volumes of the past transactions.
 184. The method of claim154, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the purchase volumeof the current transaction and wherein the incentive is for a particularproduct, the particular product based on a product in the currenttransaction.
 185. The method of claim 162, wherein the amount of theincentive is based on the purchase volume of the current transaction andwherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on a product purchased in the past transactions.
 186. Themethod of claim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thepurchase volume of the past transactions and wherein the incentive isfor a particular product, the particular product based on a product inthe current transaction.
 187. The method of claim 162, wherein theamount of the incentive is based on a combination of the purchasevolumes of the past and currents transactions and wherein the incentiveis for a particular product, the particular product purchased by thecustomer in the current transaction or the past transactions.
 188. Themethod of claim 162, wherein generating an incentive to be communicatedto the identified customer comprises generating an incentive that isassociated with the purchase volume of the current transaction and thepurchase volumes of the prior transactions.
 189. The method of claim154, wherein the incentive is for a particular product and wherein theparticular product is based on the purchase of products in the currenttransaction by the identified customer from a predetermined departmentin the retail store.
 190. The method of claim 162, wherein the incentiveis for a particular product and wherein the particular product is basedon the purchase of products in the past transactions by the identifiedcustomer from a predetermined department in the retail store.
 191. Themethod of claim 162, wherein the incentive is for a particular productand wherein the particular product is based on the purchase of productsin the current or past transactions by the identified customer from apredetermined department in the retail store.
 192. The method of claim154, wherein the incentive is for a particular product and wherein theparticular product is based on the purchase of products in the currenttransaction by the identified customer from a predetermined group ofproducts.
 193. The method of claim 162, wherein the incentive is for aparticular product and wherein the particular product is based on thepurchase of products in the past transactions by the identified customerfrom a predetermined group of products.
 194. The method of claim 162,wherein the incentive is for a particular product and wherein theparticular product is based on the purchase of products in the currentor past transactions by the identified customer from a predeterminedgroup of products.
 195. The method of claim 154, wherein the amount ofthe incentive is based on the dollar amount spent by the identifiedcustomer on products in a predetermined department in the retail store.196. The method of claim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive isbased on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on productsin the past transactions from a predetermined department in the retailstore.
 197. The method of claim 162, wherein the amount of the incentiveis based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer onproducts in the current or past transactions from a predetermineddepartment in the retail store.
 198. The method of claim 154, whereinthe amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the current transaction by theidentified customer from a predetermined group of products.
 199. Themethod of claim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thedollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in the pasttransactions from a predetermined group of products.
 200. The method ofclaim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive is ba sed on the dollaramount spent by the identified customer on products in the current orpast transactions from a predetermined group of products.
 201. Themethod of claim 154, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on thedollar amount spent by the identified customer on a particular product.202. The method of claim 162, wherein the amount of the incentive isbased on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on aparticular product in the past transactions.
 203. The method of claim162, wherein the amount of the incentive is based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on a particular product in the currentor past transactions.
 204. The method of claim 154, wherein theincentive is for a particular product, the particular product based onthe dollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in apredetermined department in the retail store.
 205. The method of claim162, wherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer onproducts in the past transactions from a predetermined department in theretail store.
 206. The method of claim 162, wherein the incentive is fora particular product, the particular product based on the dollar amountspent by the identified customer on products in the current or pasttransactions from a predetermined department in the retail store. 207.The method of claim 154, wherein the incentive is for a particularproduct, the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the current transaction by theidentified customer from a predetermined group of products.
 208. Themethod of claim 162, wherein the incentive is for a particular product,the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on products in the past transactions from apredetermined group of products.
 209. The method of claim 162, whereinthe incentive is for a particular product, the particular product basedon the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on products in thecurrent or past transactions from a predetermined group of products.210. The method of claim 154, wherein the incentive is for a particularproduct, the particular product based on the dollar amount spent by theidentified customer on a particular product.
 211. The method of claim162, wherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on aparticular product in the past transactions.
 212. The method of claim162, wherein the incentive is for a particular product, the particularproduct based on the dollar amount spent by the identified customer on aparticular product in the current or past transactions.
 213. The methodof claim 162, wherein generating an incentive to be communicated to theidentified customer comprises generating an incentive for a particularproduct.